86 Journalists, Media Houses, and Citizens Attacked in Nigeria in 2025 – MRA

The Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has decried the flagrant repression of freedom of expression and the safety of journalists, media houses, and citizens in Nigeria.

In its 2025 annual report on free expression, entitled “Reign of Impunity,” the non-governmental organisation dedicated to promoting and protecting freedom of expression, media freedom, and access to information in Nigeria said a total of 86 incidents of attacks against journalists, media houses, and citizens were documented in 2025.

According to the report, the attacks were recorded across 27 states, including the nation’s capital, Abuja, with no single case resulting in a successful investigation or prosecution of the perpetrators, even where their actions constituted criminal offences.

The organisation described these incidents as a “disturbing picture” of a deteriorating environment for freedom of expression in the country, characterised by a lack of accountability for violators of the right and perpetrators of attacks against journalists.

A key finding in the report documented arrests and detentions in 38 cases, accounting for over 44 percent of all reported incidents. These arrests were described as the primary tools for the suppression of media freedom and freedom of expression, being the most common form of attack.

Assault and battery ranked as the second most common form of attack documented in the report, with 21 recorded cases, accounting for over 24 percent of all incidents.

Alongside these violent acts were reported cases of the killing of two journalists – one who was killed in the line of duty and another woman who was murdered for alleged blasphemy. One case of kidnapping and the shutdown of a media outlet were also documented.

The Nigeria Police Force was identified in the report as the worst offender in terms of perpetrators of attacks against journalists and violations of freedom of expression rights. According to the report, the police were responsible for 41 incidents, representing nearly 48 percent of all attacks.

The Department of State Services (DSS) followed as the second worst perpetrator, involved in approximately seven percent of the documented cases, with the two security and law enforcement agencies together accounting for over 50 percent of all violations.

Nigeria’s most populous city, Lagos, and the nation’s capital, Abuja, recorded the highest number of attacks, with 16 and 14 incidents respectively.

The report also noted that, in addition to failing to investigate crimes against journalists, law enforcement and security agencies frequently turned a blind eye to attacks by non-state actors even when present. It added that they also actively participated in the brutal suppression of peaceful protests and demonstrations, with journalists frequently targeted while covering such incidents.

MRA therefore urged the Government and relevant authorities to ensure that law enforcement agencies promptly and transparently investigate all attacks against journalists and citizens and make the outcomes of such investigations public.

It also called on the government to issue clear directives to security agencies prohibiting harassment, intimidation, arbitrary arrests, and other forms of attacks against journalists carrying out their professional duties, as well as against citizens for peacefully expressing themselves, especially online.